West had seven other offers in addition to Minnesota, all of which were from FCS or MAC programs. He currently does not have any ratings from 247Sports.

A 6-foot-2, 290-pound product out of La Grange Park, Ill., West is the second defensive lineman and the first out-of-state player to commit to the Gophers. Minnesota also has a pledge from three-star defensive end Aaron Witt.

It’s obviously extremely early in the recruiting cycle, but Minnesota currently owns the 35th-best recruiting class in the country and ranks seventh in the B1G.

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB